When you buy an Android phone, you’d normally expect it to have Gmail, Google Maps, the Play Store, and the rest of Google’s software suite. That may no longer be the case in Turkey, though. Following a dispute with the country’s antitrust regulator, Google has informed its partners that it will most likely stop licensing Google apps for phones in Turkey.
According to Reuters, the company told its Turkish business partners that it will not be able to work with them on new Android phones to be released in the Turkish market.
Turkey began the investigation after a complaint from Russian search and mail provider Yandex. Google’s problems in Turkey came to a head in September 2018 when the country issued a 93 million lira ($17.4 million) fine. That’s pocket change for Google, but the monetary penalty wasn’t the issue. Along with the fine, Turkey competition authority ordered Google to allow device makers to include alternative search engines.
Google says it’s working with authorities to resolve the issue, so Android fans in Turkey may want to cross their fingers if they want to be able to access the Play Store and other Google apps on their future phones. That said, current models won’t be affected. The tech giant said in a statement: “Consumers will be able to purchase existing device models and will be able to use their devices and applications normally. Google’s other services will be unaffected.”
